A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever

As I have shared before, the most beautiful, memorable, & life-changing Mass I recall ever attending was the votive Mass of Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated in the Extraordinary From at the chant workshop in September 2009 in the crypt church of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. Here is Fr. McAfee's homily from that Mass...

A thing of beauty is a joy forever
Its loveliness increases;
It will never pass into nothingness.
–John Keats

When the envoys of Vladimir, Prince of Kiev returned from attending the Divine Liturgy at the in Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople in the late tenth century, they gave this report; “we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere on earth. We cannot describe it to you; only this we know, that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. For we cannot forget the beauty!”

President John Adams, in a letter to his wife Abigail, told of a visit to a “Romish Chapel”, it said it part; “The music was consisting of an organ and a choir of singers, went all the afternoon, excepting sermon time, and the assembly chanted-most sweetly and exquisitely. Here is every thing which can lay hold of the eye, ear, and imagination. Everything which can charm and bewitch the simple and ignorant. I wonder how Luther ever broke the spell”.

St. Teresa of Avilla declared, “I am always shaken by the grandeur of the ceremonies of the Church.” The love of beauty and its expression for the work of art is not itself beauty but its expression is homage to God because, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, “beauty is one of the names of God”. Thus the church, when she is summoned to celebrate the Divine Mysteries, utilizes all of the arts appealing to the senses because the beautiful is “id quod visum placet” ‘vision of which’ when beheld is pleasing. The soberness of the chant, the splendor of the instruments, the festivity of the vestments, the pageantry of the incense, the candles, the vessels, the holy water – all of these aid us in our worship of the Triune God who created beauty, sustains beauty, redeemed beauty and is Beauty itself.

The Church has traditionally clothed the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with mystery. Using the goods of creation, the Church in her transcendent earthiness leads her children to God and God through the same means descends to them. The Church at times has forgotten this. Pope Benedict XVI (as Cardinal Ratzinger) lamented, “Since the [Second] Vatican Council the Church has turned its back on beauty.” Just a few years ago the Pontifical council of culture in Rome issued this plea “give beauty back to ecclesiastical buildings, give beauty back to the liturgical objects!” Not only has the Church turned her back on beauty, she seems to be embarrassed by it. She who was once the patroness of the arts.

We have been impoverished. We are, to use a phrase of Paul Claudel’s, “we live in an age of starved imagination”. According to the philosopher Plotinus “the soul must climb the ladder of the beautiful before it can encounter the vision of First Beauty. But what happens when they remove the rungs of the ladder?

Scientists tell us that the left side of the brain specializes in mathematics, analysis, science and so on. It is the right side of the brain is incurably romantic its province is poetry, love, art, music. It is the right side of the brain that is called into play by a high form of Liturgy. One author has said, “During a more de-ritualized example of the vernacular Mass, the right brain, that miniature Homer or Shakespeare in all of us, is smothered to death”.

H. L. Menken who wrote for a Baltimore paper, and was no friend of religion, found himself admiring the Catholic Church as he said in 1923; “The Latin Church, which I constantly find myself admiring, despite its frequent astounding imbecilities, has always kept clearly before it the fact that religion is not a syllogism, but a poem…. Rome, indeed, has not only preserved the original poetry of Christianity; it has also made capital additions to that poetry—for example, the poetry of the saints, of Mary, of the liturgy itself.” “A solemn High Mass,” he concluded, “must be a thousand times as impressive as the most powerful sermon ever roared under the big-top… in the face of such overwhelming beauty it is not necessary to belabor the faithful with logic; they are better convinced by letting them alone.”

Listen to the enemies of the Church. They tremble at every swing of incense and each and every genuflection. In 1888 a Seventh Day Adventist published a book about the Whore of Babylon. When Judge Clarence Thomas was named to the Supreme Court the book was reissued. Here the author remarks about Catholic Worship…remember this was in the 19th century: “Many Protestants suppose that the Catholic religion is unattractive and that its worship is a dull, meaningless round of ceremony. Here they mistake. While Romanism is based upon deception, it is not a coarse and clumsy imposture. The religious service of the Roman Church is a most impressive ceremonial. Its gorgeous display and solemn rites fascinate the senses of the people and silence the voice of reason and of conscience. The eye is charmed. Magnificent churches, imposing processions, golden altars, jeweled shrines, choice paintings, and exquisite sculpture appeal to the love of beauty. The ear also is captivated. The music is unsurpassed. The rich notes of the deep-toned organ, blending with the melody of many voices as it swells through the lofty domes and pillared aisles of her grand cathedrals, cannot fail to impress the mind with awe and reverence. The pomp and ceremony of the Catholic Worship has the seductive, bewitching power by which many are deceived; and they come to look upon the Roman Church as the very gate of Heaven.”

In this way, many hearts hardened to the Church and her teachings, have been melted; as was the case of the “decadents”—Baudelaire, Verlaine, Aubrey, Oscar Wilde and others. “Beauty can then be fittingly called evangelical, evangelical beauty, via pulchritudinis, can open the pathway for the search for God and “dispose the heart and spirit to meet Christ who is the beauty of Holiness Incarnate offered by God to man for their salvation.”

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, for something to be considered beautiful it must have three qualities, integrity, harmony, clarity or radiance. When the radiance breaks through and the teachings of the Church are made manifest and the Catholic Church is recognized as the place where the truth abides and the home of beauty. This was the case with the decadents. Hans Urs von Balthasar has written that when “the good has lost its power of attraction, when proofs have lost their conclusive character; then the beautiful will empower”.

Pope Benedict XVI, in his telling of the visit of the delegates of Prince Vladimir of Kiev to Constantinople said that the delegation and the prince accepted the truth of Christianity not by the cogency of its theological augmentations but by the beauty of the mystery of its Liturgy.

The poet Baudelaire wrote; “It is at once through poetry and across poetry, through and across music, that the soul glimpses the splendor situated beyond the grave; and when an exquisite poem brings tears to the eyes these tears are not proof of excessive joy. They are the testimony of an irritated melancholy, a demand of the nerves, of a nature exiled in the imperfect, and now desiring to take possession of his world.”

Baudelaire was significantly influenced on his idea of beauty by an American writer he much admired, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe states of beauty: “We still have a thirst unquenchable, the thirst belonging to the immortality of man. He is at once a consequence and an indication of this perennial nature. It is the desire of the moth for the stars. It is no mere appreciation of the beauty before us, but veiled effort to reach the beauty above.”

Why then must the Liturgy be beautiful? Because beauty provides a vehicle to transcend our present lives and to touch the skirts of heaven. When we encounter finite beauty there is engendered a more passionate longing for absolute immortal beauty of which the earthly temporal beauty is but an ephemeral epiphany.

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, Christ is called the leiturgos, the Liturgist who presides over all our rituals, who Himself offers the Liturgy. Since Christ is the leiturgos and Christ is Beauty Incarnate, all beauty must reflect him and all beauty must flow from Him in the Liturgy.

Christ the Word Made Flesh is the greatest masterpiece. Christ is the most perfect symphony. Christ is the loveliest painting. Christ is the cosmic beat in the everlasting poem.

St. John of the Cross said; “God passes through the thickets of the world and wherever His glance falls, he turns all things to beauty”.

St. Paul wrote to Timothy; “He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He does possess immortality dwelling in unapproachable light”. Yet in the Divine Liturgy of the Mass we make bold to approach Him who lives in unapproachable light.

How can I describe the Liturgy? I can describe the Liturgy with one word. In the courts of heaven, amid the chorus of angels, there is but one word spoken, one solitary word which the cherubim and seraphim utter before the majesty of the cosmic liturgy of the glorified Lamb once slain but now risen, and that word is…

That simple word…

That glorious, triumphant word is…

AHHH!

What time is it?

I've been practicing the Gregorian chant Mass propers for Christmas Day. One way that chant is different from modern music is that the "beat" is irregular. There isn't a steady downbeat every measure of music to ground the melody. Chant is built out of notes in groups of 2 or 3 with a regular, pulsating rhythm. Sometimes a phrase is written 1 note per syllable. Sometimes a single syllable lasts a half a page. You might say chant is timeless.

This is not the result of medieval ignorance, though. No, it is a carefully thought-out theological statement; it is a participation in the timelessness on the other side of the veil. Remember that chant's proper place is in the liturgy & that the earthly liturgy is a reflection of, a participation in the heavenly liturgy. The timelessness of chant reflects the timelessness of heaven.

If you've been paying attention to the readings & prayers of the Mass & the Liturgy of the Hours, you may be a little confused at what time it is right now. All Advent we have been preparing for the coming of the Christ child, right? Yet we know that Jesus already came as a child over 2,000 years ago. We don't expect him to come back again as a child, do we? Further, many of the prayers & readings refer to Christ's return in glory to judge the world at the end of time. This is especially confusing at Mass when Christ Jesus is present with us in the Eucharist & we say he has dies, he has risen, & he will come again. How can we square all this up?

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum.

Peter reminds us that for God a thousand years is like a day & a day like a thousand years. God is not subject to time; it is a creation of his on behalf of man. Eternity is not a really long time, it is no time. It is also called all time present before God. This is the "as it was in the beginning, is now, & shall be forever unto ages of ages." Of course, we can scarcely comprehend a life apart from time, so entrenched in it are we. But time is belongs with the changeable, & the changeable belongs to the corruptible. And death has no part with God.

Further, the Church prays like it is the first coming of Christ Jesus because - as the LOH tells us - we should adopt the spirit of Mary, to give ourselves fully to God & patiently & joyfully await his coming into our lives & into the world. This attitude, this closeness to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, will keep us properly focused to hear the Word of God spoken to us & respond, both now & and at the end.

So, even though this time of "yesterday, today, & forever" can bewilder us a bit, don't resist - let yourself enter its whirlwind. We are like the Jews who even today participate in the events of the Passover & Exodus even as they ritually remember it. This holy remembering is how God saves his people. It is foundational to the Church's sacraments. Jesus told us to "Do this in remembrance of me," & we are made present not only to his Crucifixion & Death, but also his Resurrection from the Dead in the Eucharist. This "making present now" is how the sacraments - especially the Eucharist - are a foretaste of sharing in Christ's eternal life.

Perhaps we forget that our destiny is a timeless one. This is why the Church presents us with so many clues. Even if this remains cloaked in mystery, we can be sure of Christ's presence in his Church, today, tomorrow, even unto the consummation of the world. Gaudete! Dominus prope est.

Ringing that bell...

In case you didn't know, the Salvation Army is not a charity per se, but a Protestant denomination, founded by William Booth in London, England around 1878, currently claiming about a half-million adherents ("soldiers") in the U.S.

It is one of a slew of renewal movements that sprouted up in the late 1800's, particularly in England, but also in the U.S. The Army holds for the Catholic view of God (that is, Trinitarian), a very Protestant view of the Church (useful but optional), & a very traditional Protestant moral code (that is, loving but rigid). They hold for the Protestant Bible as God's exclusive revelation & rule of faith (despite the Bible as we know it not existing until the Catholic Church declared it to be so in 395 or so). They hold for total abstinence from alcohol (despite this being contrary to the Bible - Ps 104:15 as one example of so many) & recreational drugs, partly because their Franciscan-like ministry to the destitute in the streets has shown them the destructive power of such substances abused.

The S.A.'s Position Statements reveal that they have been skimming the Catechism for the wording of many of their positions. They hold for the sanctity of life from birth to natural death, calling abortion "deplorable," yet include some curious language about recognizing the difficult decisions mothers may face. They are essentially silent on the flip side of abortion coin - contraception - mentioning only that it is opposed to abortion as a means of birth control. They are against euthanasia, giving an insightful statement into the value of the process of death.

They correctly uphold marriage as an exclusive & permanent bond established by God between a man & a woman, yet are silent on the evil of divorce. They encourage respect for the dignity of homosexuals, even as they encourage them in a life of chastity, indeed, as they do for all the unmarried. In a great number of moral issues, the Salvation Army stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the Catholic Church as being a sign of contradiction in a very permissive & suicidal world.

I only mention these things because, being curious, I couldn't find anything on their site about how their vast collections are spent. There's verbiage about their programs, but nothing about disclosure & accountability. Not that I harbor any special distrust of them, but because their presence is so pervasive, I thought it a curious omission. Also, I think of how different the reaction would be if it were Catholics taking collections outside of stores (maybe habited religious sisters would get a pass). People just give to the S.A. with complete trust. Does that say something about people, the Salvation Army, or about the Catholic Church? All three, I suppose.

Now, I am in no way discouraging anyone contributing to the Salvation Army - I do myself when I pass their bell-ringing volunteers - but don't forget about the multitudes of Catholic missionaries hitting the streets, or the jungles, bringing the succor of Jesus Christ to the world's crushed & abandoned. Take a look at the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal , Franciscan Missions, or countless others, to be sure, including the cloistered religious who pray for the salvation of souls - including yours & mine.

Remember, co-conspirators, this Advent... Spend less. Give more. Worship fully. Love all.

And that really does count as a conspiracy these days.

Spotted! Inner Goddess!

Well, I haven't had an inner goddess spotting in a while. It's amazing where they turn up. This time it blindsided me at an otherwise lovely Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.

I think the OCP composers - you know, the same 6 people who wrote the same 24 songs we've been strumming on guitars for 40 years now? - are probably geniuses. Let's write a series of dreadful, nearly impossible to sing accompaniments to the Psalms of the Sunday Masses & they'll have to sing them; we'll be nearly immortal! We'll be more popular than the Beatles! We'll be more popular than Jes... er, never mind.

And so we have Psalm 98 with the oh-so-familiar melody "All the ends of the earth (I hope you're all swaying side-to-side) have seen the glory of God; all the ends of the earth have seen (go down here instead of up) the glory of God."

Well, I thought I just had wax in my ears again, but I was sure I had heard the cantor skip a word here or there or use different words in the verses of the psalm.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for God has done wondrous deeds; God's right hand has won the vic-tory; God's holy arm... Then the cantor signals "Touchdown!" & everyone joins in the refrain.

The Lord has made salvation known... Revealing justice to the nations (or something like that)... Remember your kindness & faithfulness to Israel...

OK, so what are my problems with that, you ask? Well, a few. First, this little ditty doesn't follow the approved text of the Psalm. Hopefully, the new translation will fix that.

Further, the version we sang last night didn't even match the same one we've been singing forever. What was different? Every reference to God as masculine was eliminated. The Psalm for Mass was hijacked by someone with a feminist agenda. They want God castrated. The psalm actually goes:

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds His right hand has won victory for him; his holy arm.

The Lord has made his salvation known; in the sign of the nations he has revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel.

The psalmist was pretty careful to include those masculine references. I'm not sure by what authority someone would arbitrarily eliminate them. I guess by Luther's.

Why all the fuss, you ask? God is neither male nor female, right? Well... There are libraries full of theological explanations of why God is "father" & not "mother" or simply "it." But consider this: the Second Person of the Trinity took on human nature & flesh by way of the Blessed Mother. Jesus was a man & Jesus was God. Jesus called the First Person Father. It is unequivocal that God & the masculine, even maleness, are related in a special way.

Look, I know when I'm being played, & last night someone decided that the Sacred Liturgy was the place to air out their radical feminist ideology. Since this was not my parish, I tried to put it aside & focus on the more important aspects of the liturgy. But, I hope the pastor intervenes. I hope this miserable arrangement is never played again. I hope people holding & publicly forwarding heretical notions either repent or formally leave the Church; the scandal they give is awful. Hasn't enough damage been done?

Holy Mary, vanquisher of heretics, pray for us.

Breaking the Bonds of Charity

Ever wonder what goes on in the head of someone who leaves Mass early, say just after Holy Communion? Well, we must not be too judgmental, because as the saying goes, everyone's dealing with something. Perhaps they're doing the best they can.

Yet, we can't help but notice when folks come down the line for the Eucharist with their coat & cap on, keys already in hand. We know they're going to head straight up the aisle & slip out the door. They will miss the most precious & fragile time of prayer - physical communion with the Lord, they will miss the post-Communion prayer, they will likely miss announcements about the various activities of parish life - the life in Christ that we are meant to live in service of God & others, & they will miss the final blessing. In the more fortunate parishes, they may also miss an appropriate & well-sung closing hymn.

In my parish, the Saturday vigil Mass is where these people are prominent. Many times I have been present at a sign-up table or ready to distribute Little Blue Books or something else & watched these folks leave in droves after Communion, sometimes what seems to be the entire back third of the congregation! And, man, is it difficult to catch their attention! Eye-contact is avoided at all cost. On some occasions, I felt compelled to literally chase someone down in the parking lot to hand them their prayer book.

But we know that an action of one member of the Body of Christ is never a matter private to them alone - it affects the entire Body. So, I think deeper down we feel a little betrayed & hurt by those who seem to want "a minimal experience of the Faith" as one pastor of souls said about "down-n-outers." What is betrayed is our understanding of ourselves as the Body of Christ, indivisible under Jesus himself. It is a tacit denial or at least a diminishing of the reality that is the Church & of the bonds of spiritual communion that exist among the members of said Church. In fact, one of the primary fruits of the sacrament of the Eucharist is an increase in those bonds of charity.

With all this in mind, I was taken back a bit by this passage of the Didascalia, a 3rd century liturgical manual presented in Mike Aquillina's book, The Mass of the Early Christians:

"When you teach the people, O bishop, command and exhort them to come faithfully to church , and never forsake it for any reason, but gather together continuously. Let no one diminish the Church by withdrawing themselves. If they do, they deprive the body of Christ of one of its members."